Campo Arcis - Requena-Utiel
Campo Arcís: a hamlet of 400 souls nestling in the heart of the Requena vineyards. This is where the Pigar family can be found. The project was born in 2014, but it was in 2016 that Juan and Susana took the plunge: leaving their jobs in the city to set up full-time in the village. Their mission? To make natural wines using traditional methods, based on ancestral knowledge, balance and sustainability.
The couple cultivate their 17 hectares of vines at an altitude of 585 metres - 9 of which are dedicated to Pigar wines - using agro-ecological practices and respecting every stage of the process. They preserve the autochthonous grape varieties and enrich the soil by sowing leguminous plants for natural ground cover, enabling the vines to adapt better to the vagaries of the climate. Each wine is fermented with the indigenous yeasts in the grapes, without filtration or clarification, to preserve its lively, authentic character.
Their range of grape varieties is extensive: Bobal and Royal for the reds; Macabeu, Chardonnay, Muscat, Valenci white, Airen, Tardana and Tortosí for the whites. It has to be said that the Valencian region has far more white grape varieties than red. Each harvest produces around ten different cuvées: whites, oranges, reds, still or sparkling. These are traditional wines, or ‘Pet'Nat’ as they are known in Paris, vinified in stainless steel vats, barrels or amphorae. Some are produced under the Utiel-Requena appellation.
As well as working in the vineyards, Susana illustrates each of their bottle labels with watercolours. Her talent has even won over her neighbour and winemaker Veronica Romero, who now entrusts her with the creation of her own labels. This love of detail is also evident in the hand-painted disgorgers, unique pieces that wine lovers can reserve..
In June 2022, a new member of the family joined the adventure: little Aritz, ‘the bear’ in Basque, raised with the same values of freedom, respect and love that we find in every bottle of the family.
Susana talks about Pigar (in Spanish)
Ancestral
Sparkling wine Chardonnay 100%
Alcohol content: 13,5% Vol.
The Chardonnay plot is located in Campo Arcis and is called Casa Alarcon. The pruning is long and double Guyot arcquée, adapted to the vigorous Chardonnay grape. Each vine produces about three kilos of grapes.
The harvest: the grapes were harvested manually.
The winemaking: natural sparkling wine, an ancestral method which consists of completing the fermentation in the bottle. Direct pressing. Five months of bottle ageing on lees and disgorging by hand. No additives or sulphites, no filtering or clarification. 1000 bottles produced.
The wine maker's notes: better than a Champagne!
Recommended consumption temperature: between 6 and 9°C
To be consumed from now on.